When
a presentation by Dr. Kathryn MacFarland, ASM’s Archaeological Repository Manager
at Whiskey Del Bac, 2106 N Forbes Blvd, Ste 103, Tucson
RSVP link coming soon!
Like mariners and cartographers of old, ancient writers, such as Herodotus (ca. 480 BCE), heard and reported fantastical stories about peoples and cryptid-like creatures of unknown territories. The interesting thing about these stories, however, is that they are frequently proven accurate and it is not unusual to write a description of a Scythian artifact such as: “A griffin eating a deer, whose antlers are a series of chickens.” Objects depicting this delightfully naturalistic and imaginative style are frequently viewed as a romanticized window into the daily life of a nomadic, pastoral Scythian. However, the persistent themes and geographic spread of objects and monuments depicting these animals and creatures throughout the first millennium BCE calls into question the purpose behind these depictions. Drawing on recent archaeological and historical research, this presentation invites you to explore north central Eurasian Animal Style Art and consider the cultural significance of the imagery as a potential window into ancient Scythian beliefs.
Kathryn MacFarland, Ph.D., is manager of the Archaeological Repository for the Arizona State Museum. Her research focuses on identifying continental-scale symbolic systems that are indicative of ideological and religious beliefs in an analysis method developed to study material culture from north central Eurasia of the first millennium BCE. She also has research interests related to the intersection of archaeological and museological theory and practice and is dedicated to addressing long-term curation concerns associated with archaeological legacy collections and repatriation issues and directing internship opportunities focusing on collections management.